


Closeness

by breadandstutter



Category: The Avengers (2012)
Genre: Character Death, Developing Relationship, F/M, One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-08-24
Updated: 2012-08-24
Packaged: 2017-11-12 19:44:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 882
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/494984
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/breadandstutter/pseuds/breadandstutter
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Pepper doesn't need to be taken care of. But what she begins to understand that when Bruce first met Tony, he finally found out what it was like to have a family. In the aftermath of a tragedy, he's not willing to give that feeling up.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Closeness

“Pepper? Hey- I'm here!”

Bruce stepped over the threshold, juggling a carton of milk and a bag of chocolates in one hand while he closed the door with the other.

“Bruce! Thank you so much,” a somewhat flustered Pepper Stark emerged from her home office into the corridor, walking towards him with a smile, “I would have picked it up myself, but since you were already on your way...”

“It's no problem,” Bruce grinned, handing over the milk and the chocolate, the last with an addendum attached, “I thought Ellie might like these.”

“Oh, she'll love them, you know that!” She laughed in a distracted manner and disappeared again, presumably to put the milk away. A moment later, Bruce heard Pepper call out to her daughter from the kitchen, “Ellie!”

“Uncle Bruce is here?!”

Within seconds, the eleven year old was bounding down the stairs like a derailed freight train tumbling over a cliff. Bruce was there to meet her at the bottom as she flung her arms around his waist, locking him in a surprising embrace. In previous years, Bruce had never felt particularly close to Pepper and Tony's daughter, and yet now she worshipped him like a hero. It felt... nice.

“Did you get my message!?” Her eyes were bright and wide. Bruce gently pushed her away so that he could squat down and talk to her at eye level.

“I did! I would be honoured to attend, Miss Stark! And if I may say, your project looks especially promising this year; you're going to take home a trophy, no doubt about it!” He grinned broadly at her.

“I know!” She exclaimed, Tony's influence apparent: the same self-admiration he'd had when he had talked about his work, the same well-earned confidence.

She smiled and proudly turned her chin up at him, “It's going to be the best!”

“That science fair won't know what hit it!” Bruce grinned and clasped her shoulder with one hand.

“That's for damn sure!”

“Ellie!” Pepper said sharply, reentering the hallway, “Watch your mouth!”

The little girl flushed but feigned guiltlessness while Bruce stifled a surprised laugh.

“I didn't say anything!”

“Oh yeah? It had better stay that way, missy. Go finish your write up. The sitter is waiting,” Pepper scolded.

Ellie's goodbye came with a disappointed sigh.

“ _Okay,_ Mom. Goodbye, Uncle Bruce, and don't forget: 4:30 sharp!”

“Wouldn't miss it for the world!” Bruce waved her up the stairs and out of sight and then turned back to Pepper with a cheery note in his voice, “Are you ready to go?”

Pepper hesitated, preoccupied, before replying, “Yes. I didn't get to do half the things on my list, but... I suppose I can always do that tomorrow.”

“Do you need any help with anything?” He offered, silently thankful that she had worked him in to her busy schedule.

“No, thank you, Bruce. I've got it under control.” She smiled at him, and turned to the mirror next to the door, hastily fixing her hair.

“Are you sure? If there's anything else you need... I could help with Ellie? I could pick her up at school? Or I could-,”

“I don't need you to do this, Bruce.”

“Do what?”

“Take care of us like this. We're fine on our own. I've got this,” Pepper said assertively as she fiddled with her earrings in the hallway mirror. There was a hard edge in her voice, and she didn't look at him, but the meaning was clear to Bruce all the same. She didn't need him, and nor did she want him to try and take Tony's place.

Bruce paused, adjusting to the new tone of conversation.

“That's not why I'm doing this.”

“Then why are you?”

A short pause pulled on Pepper's nerves.

“ _I_ need you.”

While Bruce maintained a front of being at ease, his words echoed with the hollowness of an empty house. It was a kind of audible loneliness that Pepper could only guess at: A single man, never married, no family of his own. Just his best friend, his colleague, partner... and through him, Pepper and Ellie. He was a man who had lost much over the coarse of his life, and Pepper could only assume that he was now trying to find something to hang on to.

Pepper glanced downwards, adjusting her wedding band absently. When she looked back up, the defensive irritation was gone.

“You loved him like a brother.”

“I did,” Bruce confirmed, nervously rubbing the back of one of his hands with the fingers of his other. There was another long pause as the pair silently commiserated their loss. The past two years had been diminished greatly by Tony's absence.

After the moment had passed, Pepper stepped forward. Her light fingers settled on Bruce's fidgeting hands and, from there, carefully wrapped around them. Her touch was still new, still nerve-wracking to him, even after three months of the most careful courtship Bruce had ever participated in.

“You've been so wonderful to us, Bruce,” She kissed him lightly on the lips, “Thank you.”

Bruce gave her a small smile, but his expression faltered,“I don't want you to feel obligated to see me, just because I-.”

“I don't,” She cut him off, crooked smile returning, “Now about that date?”


End file.
